Development of A Simulation Model For The Hybrid Solar Dryers As

Alternative Sustainable Drying System For Herbal and Medicinal Plants

Ali, S.A. and A.H. ahnasa!y
Agric. Eng. Dept., Moshtohor Agric. College
Benha University, Moshtohor , Toukh, Qaliobia
Tel: !" #$%&"$ 'o((ice)
e*+ail: a,el-bahnasa.y/yahoo.co+
"ritten for presentation at the
#$%% &'() Section *' 'nternational Symposium on

To!ards a Sustainable Food &hain
Food Process, ioprocessing and Food +uality Management
,antes, France - April %.-#$, #$%%
Abstract. A si+ulation +o,el o( hybri, solar ,rying as alternative sustainable ,rying syste+ (or herbal an, +e,icinal plants
.as ,evelope,. 0eat absorbe, (ro+ the solar ra,iation. 0eat gaine, by the collector an, supple+ente, by the burner.
0eat gaine, or lost by the pro,uct, heat gaine, or lost through the ,rying bin .all, an, the latent heat o( the +oisture
evaporation (ro+ the pro,uct .ere the +ain co+ponents o( the e1uations ,escribing the ,rying syste+. The +o,el .as
able to pre,ict the +oisture loss (ro+ the pro,uct at .i,e ranges o( te+peratures '22, %, %2 an, & C an, air circulation
percentages '!, # an, "3). The +o,el sho.e, a ,ra+atic e((ect o( the ,rying air te+perature on the +oisture loss at
the beginning o( the ,rying process an, beca+e constant. Energy consu+ption at ,i((erent ,rying te+peratures .as
stu,ie,. Air recirculation has a pro(oun, e((ect on energy saving .hile ,rying herbs. 4n the ne5t stages, high te+perature
.ithout (orcing air shoul, be use,. The +o,el .as vali,ate, by using e5peri+ental ,ata o( the ,rying te+peratures an,
+oisture loss un,er both ,irect sun an, solar ,rying syste+s (or herbal plants. The pre,icte, values .ere in a reasonable
agree+ent .ith the e5peri+ental ,ata.
/ey!ords. 6i+ulation +o,el, hybri, solar ,ryer, herbal an, +e,icinal plants, air recirculation, energy consu+ption.
Proceedings of the 0
th
&'() Section *' 'nternational Symposium
1To!ards a Sustainable Food &hain2
Food Process, ioprocessing and Food +uality Management
,antes, France - April %.-#$, #$%%
'ntroduction
The whole industry of exporting dried herbs and medicinal plants are at risk. The drying cost of dried herbs
using fossil energy with the governmental policy of liberalizing energy cost will become very crucial. At the
moment, the drying cost of one Kg of mint ranges between L !"# relevant to type of energy used, diesel and $ or
electric power. %ith the expected rising of energy cost, the total exporting cost will be critical compared to
competitors from other producers such as &ndia and elsewhere. This is beside the environmental hazards of using
fuel as the source of energy.
'rying of herbs and medicinal plants is one of the oldest forms of food preservation methods known to
man and is the most important process for preserving food since it has a great effect on the (uality of the dried
products. The ma)or ob)ective in drying agricultural products is the reduction of the moisture content to a level
which allows safe storage over an extended period. Also, it brings about substantial reduction in weight and volume,
minimizing packaging, storage and transportation costs *+kos, ,arsimhan, -ingh, . %itnauer, /00!1. -olar energy
is an important alternative source of energy and preferred to other energy sources because it is abundant,
inexhaustible and non"pollutant. Also, it is renewable, cheap and environmental friendly *2asunia . Abe, !33/1.
Thin layer e(uations describe the drying phenomena in a united way, regardless of the controlling
mechanism. They have been used to estimate drying times of several products and to generalize drying curves. &n
the development of thin layer drying models for agricultural products, generally the moisture content of the material
at any time after it has been sub)ected to a constant relative humidity and temperature conditions is measured and
correlated to the drying parameters *4idilli, Kucuk, . 5apar, !33!6 Togrul . 7ehlivan, !3381.
4any researches on the mathematical modelling and experimental studies have been conducted on the thin
layer drying processes of various vegetables, fruits and agro"based products such as bay leaves *9u:nhan,
'emir,;ancioglu, . ;epbasli, !33<1, hazelnut *+: zdemir . 'evres, /0001, green pepper, green bean and s(uash
*5aldiz . rtekin, !33/1, apricot *-arsilmaz, 5ildiz, . 7ehlivan, !3336 Togrul . 7ehlivan, !33#1, green chilli
*;ossain . 2ala, !33!1, pistachio *4idilli . Kucuk, !33#1, potato *Akpinar, 4idilli, . 2icer, !33#a1, apple
*Akpinar, 2icer, . 4idilli, !33#1, pumpkin *Akpinar, 4idilli, . 2icer, !33#b1, red pepper *Akpinar, 2icer, .
5ildiz, !33#1, eggplant *rtekin . 5aldiz, !3381, carrot *'oymaz, !3381, fig *'oymaz, !33<1, =itrus aurantium
leaves *Ait 4ohamed et al., !33<1, rosehip *renturk, 9ulaboglu, . 9ultekin, !3381, kiwi *-imal, >emenia, 9arau,
. ?osella, !33<1.
-olar drying systems must be properly designed in order to meet particular drying re(uirements of specific products
and to give satisfactory performance with respect to energy re(uirements. 'esigners should investigate the basic
parameters namely dimensions, temperature, relative humidity, airflow rate and the characteristics of products to be
dried. ;owever, full scale experiments for different products, drying seasons, and system configurations are some
times costly and not possible. The development of a simulation model is a valuable tool for predicting of the
performance of solar drying systems. Again, simulation of solar drying is essential to optimize the dimensions of
solar drying systems and the optimization techni(ue can be used for optimal design of solar drying systems @/A#B.
;owever, there is no information about the mathematical models of the drying process using hybrid solar drying of
herbs and medicinal plants in the literature. Therefore, the main ob)ectives of this study are to develop an
appropriate model for the hybrid drying system to study the effect drying temperature and air recirculation
percentages on the drying time, final moisture content and energy consumption for some herbal plants. Testing and
verifying the model results with the experimental results. Applying the model results to design and construct an
appropriate hybrid solar dryer for some herbal and medicinal plants.
MODEL DEVELOPMENT
;eat and mass balances were carried out in order to describe the drying system. The temperature rise and
moisture loss during the drying are described by means of the transient energy conservation e(uation, combined
with an e(uation for the rate of moisture loss. ;owever, the following assumptions were made in developing the
modelC
" The product is uniformity distributed in the drying space.
#
" 7roduct leaves are characterized as homogenous ob)ects and have a uniform temperature.
" A steady state condition is achieved.
" The coefficient of evaporation remains constant.
Heat alance3
The heat balance e(uation is based on the concept that the algebraic summation of the rate of sensible
energy gain, the absorbed solar heat, heat gain or heat loss from the dryer room, and the heat loss due to the
moisture evaporation. These could be explained as followsC
1- ;eat absorbed from the solar radiation.
2- ;eat gained by the collector and supplemented by the burner.
3- ;eat gained or lost by the product,
4- ;eat gained or lost through the drying bin wall, and
5- The latent heat of the moisture evaporation from the product.
These components can be written as followsC
Qs +Qc Qp Qw Qe = 0 (3)
7ith re(erence to 8ig. !, the values o( Qs, Qc, Qp, Q. an, Qe can be calculate, (ro+ the (ollo.ing
e1uations:
Qs 9 s0s : sky0sky * Qconv * E '$)
Qp 9 +p cp 'Tin ; Ta+b) '2)
Q.9 k. A. 'Tin ; Ta+b) < =c '%)
Qe 9 AoCt '>s ; >a+b) ? Ql '&)
!lar rad"at"!n#
The total solar radiation incident on a surface is the combination of the direct *subscript '1, diffuse
*subscript d1 and ground"reflected *subscript r1 irradiance of the surface, which givesC
r d D t
E E E E + + = *D1
The amount of solar irradiance was calculated according to A-;?, !330
!lar $!lle$t!r#
The energy balance for the air"flow through the collector given by e(uation *""1 can be written to give the
temperature rise across the collector in according to the e(uations cited from 'ufee and 2echman, /00/
enthalpy of air entering the bed is e(ual to the sum of the enthalpy of ambient air and the enthalpy gain in the
collector. The enthalpy gain in the collector can be expressed asC
for an actual collector and asC
"
for the electrically heated simulated collector
where %= L is the area of collector.
,ow, the heat balance givesC
hs E ha F Gh
where ha is the enthalpy of ambient air and hs is the enthalpy of air leaving the bed which is assumed to be the
saturation enthalpy. The mode/ utilizes the following relations for enthalpy and saturated humidity ratio. Those
e(uations are approximations developed from the psychometric chart.
ha E */"H1xTa F H x hs
hs E !0.< F *!./ x*T"/311 F *3.3I x *T"/31
!
1
Jsat E 3.33IK F *3.3338< x *T"/3.311 F*3.3333!I x *T"/31
!
1
>irst, the saturation enthalpy of ambient air is calculated from e(uation *I<1 then e(uation *I81 is used to calculate
the enthalpy of ambient air. The enthalpy of air leaving the grain bed is then computed using e(uation *I#1. -ince
the air leaving the bed is saturation, its temperature, which is the saturation temperature, can be obtained from
e(uation *I<1.
%hen the ambient and final temperatures are known, e(uation *IK1 is used to obtain the saturated humidity ratios of
air entering the collector and that leaving the dryer. The humidity ratio of the air entering the collector can then be
calculated using e(uation *81.
The rate at which moisture is removed can then be computed by applying a moisture mass balance for the product
bed as followsC
whereC
$
4c E moisture content
4rd E mass of dry product in bed
&t is worth noticing that the enthalpy changes associated with moisture evaporation are
far greater than the sensible heat changes associated with changes in bed temperature,
therefore, bed sensible heat changes have been ignored in the above calculations.
Attention will now be turned to the e(uilibrium drying model. The e(uilibrium model is based on the assumption
that near e(uilibrium conditions exist between drying air and grain. >irst, the conditions of air leaving the collector
have to be determined. An energy balance for the collector allows the temperature of air leaving the collector to be
calculated. This givesC
Tc E Ta F Gh $ =a
where Ah is given by e(uation *I /1 or *I!1 depending on the type of the collector being used.
2y using e(uation *IK1, the saturated humidity ratio for air entering the collector, ;?sat and the air leaving the
collector, ;?csat can be determined. %ith the relative humidity of air entering the collector known, the relative
humidity of air leaving the collector, rh, can be calculated using the relationC
The humidity ratio of the air leaving the collector is obtained using e(uation *81. %ith the conditions of air entering
the rice bed now known, the e(uilibrium temperature can be obtained from e(uation *!#1. &n the calculation of the
e(uilibrium temperature, it is assumed that at the beginning of drying. the product has the temperature of ambient
air. The e(uilibrium temperature t hen allows the e(uilibrium moisture content to be calculated. An average value of
both the =hung"7fost e(uation, e(uation *!31, and the modified ;enderson e(uation, e(uation *! /1. is used to obtain
a better estimation for e(uilibrium moisture contentaK. The thin layer e(uation, e(uation *!<1. allows the moisture
content of the product 4,*t1, at time t, to be calculated. The mass of moisture transferred from the rice to each kg of
air passing through the dryer during the time increment can be obtained as be/owC
The mass of water released by the rice and available for air to be removed per kg of air is given by e(uation *ID1 C
where 4, , is the moisture content, m,d is the mass of dry rice and m is the mass of air
passing through the dryer during the time interval.
The mass of dry product can be calculated fromC
mrd E m */.3 A 4cw1
2
w hereC
mrd E mass of dry rice, kg
m E mass of wet rice, kg
4cw, E rice moisture content, wet basis, decimal
,ow the humidity ratio of air leaving the bed is the sum of Au and humidity ratio of air entering the bed. ;owever,
air has a limited moisture carrying capacity. The maximum amount of moisture that one kg of air can remove is the
difference between the saturated humidity ratio and the humidity ratio of that air at that temperature. ,ow as air
passes through the rice bed, it cools down. The resulting temperature decrement can be found by e(uating the latent
heat of vaporization from grain to the sensible heat change of drying air.
h
L
fg x GM E =d x GT
whereC
hfg E latent heat of vaporization, N$kg
Ca, E -pecific heat capacity of air, N $ kg.C
with air absorbing moisture it cools down, as it cools down its ability to absorb moisture decreases. Therefore an
iterative solution procedure has to be used to find the mass of actual moisture removed. The moisture exceeds the
actual value of moisture removed is assumed to be condensed back to the rice. &n this procedure, Aw is calculated
using e(uation *D/1. (uation *D#1 is then used to find the temperature decrement, GT, &f the calculated exit
temperature indicated that the moisture content of the air in fact exceeds the saturation moisture content, a new value
of GM is guessed and the process is repeated until the conditions that give saturation at bed exit are found. %ith the
actual value of the (uantity GM is known, a corrected moisture content of the rice is then calculated from e(uation
*D/1.
2.2.15 The E%u"l"br"um M!"sture &!ntent
The e(uilibrium moisture content, 4= , is the moisture content of a product that is in e(uilibrium with air at a
particular mean dry"bulb temperature and relative humidity that would be attained by the grain over infinite time, at
a constant value of air relative humidity and temperature. The e(uilibrium moisture content is expressed as a
decimal on a dry basis. -everal models, theoretical as well as empirical, have been suggested for the calculation of
the 4=. The following =hung"7fost and the rnodified ;enderson e(uilibrium e(uationT8 applies well to productC
% hereC
4=O E drying air e(uilibrium moisture content, dry basis, decimal
T E the e(uilibrium temperature of drying air, =elsius
7;& E relative humidity of drying air, decimal
=, , and > are e(uilibrium constants and have the following values for product.
= E #<.I3#
E 3.!0#08
> E 3.38K3/<
The e(uilibrium moisture content can also be expressed by the modified ;enderson (uationC
%
The variation of the e(uilibrium moisture content for rice with relative humidity at
different temperatures .
2.2.1' E%u"l"br"um Temperature !( Dry"n) *"r
The drying process takes place at a temperature that "s between the temperature of the
air entering the crop bed and that of the air exiting the dryer. The e(uilibrium temperature of drying air can be
calculated by establishing a heat balance between the
initial conditions and the e(uilibrium conditions and assuming that the temperature of the e(uilibrium e(uals that of
the grains and the humidity ratio at e(uilibrium e(uals that of drying air.
which givesC
whereC
&
2.3.1 +eat Trans(er &!e(("$"ent
;eat is transferred from the absorber plate to the air by convection. &n order to calculate the heat transfer coefficient
between the plate and air, the character of the flow must be determined as turbulent or laminar. The heat transfer
coefficient can be calculated from the following relationshipC
whereC
,PLE average ,usselt number based on the length of collector
k E thermal conductivity of air, %$m.K
L E characteristic length of the system *taken as the length of the collector1
>or natural convection laminar flow, h e ,usselt number can be calculated from the following relationshipC
>or forced convection laminar flowC
where C
7r E 7randtl number
?eL E ?eynolds number based on the length of the collector
@
The above e(uation can be rewritten in the form the heat transfer coefficient for forced convection laminar flow can
then be expressed asC
&t is important to keep in mind that the above relations are valid for 7r Q 3./ which is the case for air.
3.2 &OMP,T*T-ON*L P.O&ED,.E
The following fowchart is programmed using Ecel !preadsheet" #et ta$les represent the inputs
and the outputs for the simulation model"
3. Experimental procedures
The hybrid solar dryer consists of the following componentsC
/" The cabinet dryer,
!" The solar collector, and
#" The supplementary power source.
1- &!mp!nents !( the $ab"net dryer /0")ure 151#
The dry"n) $hamber#
The drying chamber is the part of the dryer where the product to be dried are fed and drying takes
place. The product are fed into trays first and these trays are then fed into the drying chamber.
Pr"n$"ple !( !perat"!n !( the $ab"net dryer#
The products which are to be dried are loaded into the trays and the trays are then fed into the
drying chamber and the door is closed sealing the system. The trays have perforated bottom.
The burner incorporates a switch which has a sparking mechanism when turned clockwise. This
spark produced by the clockwise rotation of the switch ignites the gas and produces a light blue flame
which heats up the drying chamber. %hen moisture from product is vaporized, they pass through an outlet
to the surrounding.
The pr!p!sed "mpr!2ed des")n !( the $ab"net dryer#
The improvement on the existing design of the existing cabinet product dryer has been carried out
based on the problems associated with the existing design i.e., to improve upon the heat distribution, safety
and ergonomics of the machine.
Des")n $!ns"derat"!ns#
'rying of products to take 8 h.
4int is used as an example to cover a large range of products.
%ith respect to ergonomics, the trolley has been made to be high enough to allow easy rolling in and out of
the cabinet without unnecessary bending of the operator.
A
0")ure 3 0l!3 $hart (!r the e4per"ment s"mulat"!n pr!)ram
!
tart
De$lare
Var"able
.ead Dryer 5e!metr"$al
Parameters
.ead 6eather Data
&al$ulate 0resh
*"r Pr!pert"es
.ead &!lle$t!r Parameters
*"r
Temperature
.elat"2e
+um"d"ty
&al$ulate &!lle$t!r *rea7
&al$ulate M"4ed *"r
Pr!pert"es enter"n) the dryer
&al$ulate m!"sture $!ntent (r!m
Psy$h!metr"$ m!del
&al$ulate e%u"l"br"um m!"sture
$!ntent
.ead pr!du$t Parameters
4=p RE
'
t!p
&al$ulate *"r Pr!pert"es E4"t
(r!m the dryer
.ead M"4"n)
.at"!
!!
#
.

+
#."
+
#
.
2

+
#
.
%

+
0eat E5changer
Burner
.&$
Tray
s
!#
The &ab"net Dryer De2el!ped
Elevation
>lan
6i,e Bie.
!lar &!lle$t!r
&!mp!nents !( the "mpr!2ed dryer#
The dryer consists of three ma)or components, namelyC
o The drying chamber,
o The trolley and trays,
o The fan$blower, and
The dry"n) $hamber#
The drying chamber has a length of !.< m, width of !.# m and height of !.K m. &t is made of
galvanized steel *< mm thickness1. The selection of galvanized steel in this regard is due to its strength and
heat transfer properties. &nside the drying chamber is painted with silver to reduce heat loss by radiation
and each side of the chamber is insulated to reduce heat loss.
The tr!lley#
The trolley has a length of !.# m, width of /./ m and height of !.8 m. The trolley is designed in
such a way that it allows easy insertion of individual trays at a distance of 3.! m apart and has tyres for easy
movement of trays. The material for the trolley is stainless steel. The reason for selecting this material is
due to the structural properties and its weldability
The trays#
The trays are made of stainless steel and have a length /./ m, width 3.I8 m and depth of 3.3# m.
The trays have perforated bottom which allows heated air to pass through products.
The (an8bl!3er#
The fan aids in heat distribution by drawing ambient air from the surrounding to the heater
housing and discharging heated air to the drying chamber. A proper fan has to be selected so that proper
distribution of heat is achieved

.

ele$t"!n !( the (an#
Length, width and height of drying chamber are !.<, !.# and !.K m respectivelyC
Solume of drying chamber E !.<T!.#T!.K E /8.0< m
#
Length, width and height of trays are /./ m, 3.I8 m and 3./< m respectivelyC
Solume of one tray E /./T3.I8T3.3# E 3.3!!8 m
#
'istance between subse(uent trays E 3.3< m
&ntended drying time E 8.3 h
;eight at which products will fill the trays E 3./< m
Solume of products per tray E 3./<T/./3T3.I8 E 3./!!/ m
#

Total volume of products E ,umber of trays T volume per tray E KKT3./!!/ E D.3<D

m
#
Psing mint as an example,
bulk density of mint E #/.3 kg m
U#
Total mass of mint E bulk density T volume E #/.3 kg m
U#
T D.3<D

m
#
V !<3.3 kg
4oisture content E W*4w"4d1$4wXT /33
%hereC 4w E 4ass of wet product
4d E 4ass of dry product
>rom the moisture content table, optimum moisture content for mint when harvested E D3Y.
ThereforeC
W*4w"4d1$ 4wXT/33 E D3 W*!<3.3"4d1$!<3.3XT/33 E D3 4d E DI.< kg
4ass of water E 4ass of wet product *4w1"4ass of dry product *4d1
4ass of water E !<3.<"DI.< E /K!.< kg
Zuantity of heat re(uired to remove moisture contentC
!"
Latent heat of vaporization of waterC !,#D<.!0 kN$kgwater
;eat (uantity for water removal E /K!.< kg T !,#D<.!0 kN$kgwater E #DI,K30.K! kN
7ower E Zuantity of heat$time *sec1
&ntended drying time E !83 min E !83TK3 sec
7ower E #DI,K30.K!

$*!83TK31
7ower E !K.0 k%
%ork done by heater E %ork done on air
%ork done by heater E !I k%
%ork done on air E 4ass flow rate of air T -pecific heat capacity of air T Temperature difference
-pecific heat capacity of air E /.33< kN kg K
U/
%ork done by heater E 4ass flow rate T -pecific heat capacity T Temperature difference
!I T /3
#
% E 4ass flow rate kg sec
"/
$*/.33<T/3
#
T<<1 E
4ass flow rate kg sec
"/
E !I T /3
#
% $*/.33<T/3
#
T<<1 E 3.8DD< kg sec
U/
>rom appendix, density of air at 83[= E /./!I kg m
U#
-pecific volume *v1 E /$/./!I
'ischarge E 4ass flow rate T -pecific volume E 3.8DD< T 3.DDI# E 3.8##< m
#
sec
U/
E 3.8##< m
#
sec
U/

T #,K33 sec $ h E /<K3 m
#
h
U/
fficiency of blower E !3Y
2lower discharge demand E 'ischarge m
#
h
U/
$ fficiency Y
E /<K3 m
#
h
U/

T 3.!
E ID33 m
#
h
U/
2- The !lar &!lle$t!r #
The solar collector consists of three ma)or components, namelyC
" The glass cover has a sheets */! sheets, !.3T!.3m, <.< mm thickness1. The reason for selecting this
material is due to the structural thermal properties.
" The absorber plate, *corrugated black aluminum corrugated1.
" The insulation, *thermal wool, <.3 cm thickness1.
-election of the solar collector areaC
Total 7ower demand E !I k%.h
-olar energy available E Average solar radiation *k%$m
!
1 T =ollector Area *m
!
1

=ollector Area *m
!
1 E Total 7ower demand *k%1 $ Average solar radiation *k%$m
!
1
E !I $ 3.K E 8< m
!
V *8.3 T /!.3m1
!$
3.1. SOLAR CALCULATIONS
Ta$le (%)& 'nput (arameters"
T"me 9!ne ,.0*&E#
M!nth : 3 *;"muth : <
Day : 1= T"lt />!1 : 3<
L!n)"tude : 33
Lat"tude /L1: 2?.4
&learness number
/&N1 : 1
5r!und
.e(le$t"2"ty /@)1 : <.'
Day !( year /A1 : ='
E%uat"!n !( T"me
/ET1 : -B.<''
De$l"nat"!n /C1 : -2.<1'
Opt"mum T"lt
*n)le at N!!n />1
: 3<.41'
* : 11''.=<1
D : <.14?
& : <.1<?
!lar T"me
&!rre$t"!n : 2.<4B 2#<2 *M 2 h 2 m"n 5'.1
N!. !( Dr")ht
unsh"ne +!urs : 11.?55 h
unr"se T"me
/Tsr1 : '.<=3 : ' h 4 m"n 21.=
unset T"me /Tss1
: 1=.B2= : 1= h 55 m"n 3?.3
tart T"me : 1#<< *M
tep T"me : <#15

!2
Table *!1 shows the predicted solar radiation *%$m
!
1, the collector efficiency and useful heat gain used to heat the air
passing through the collector for the dryer.
Table *!1C +utput 'ata
!lar
T"me
L!$al
+!ur
+!ur
*n)le
!lar
*lt"tude
9en"th
*n)le
!lar
*;"muth
T"lt
*n)le
!lar
-n$"den$e
*n)le
!lar
.ad"at"!n
,se(ul +eat
5a"n
*T E F 9 Gs >! H 68m
2
68m
2
1#<< *M 1<#5= PM -1'5.<< -=4.4= 1'4.4= -115.4' 1'4.4= 153.12 <.<< <.<<
2#<< *M 11#5= PM -15<.<< -'1.?1 151.?1 -B?.'1 151.?1 143.<< <.<< <.<<
3#<< *M 12#5= *M -135.<< -4?.'' 13?.'' -B<.<1 13?.'' 13<.5' <.<< <.<<
4#<< *M 1#5= *M -12<.<< -35.5< 125.5< -?3.52 125.5< 11=.1B <.<< <.<<
5#<< *M 2#5= *M -1<5.<< -22.4B 112.4B -==.5' 112.4B 1<3.4< <.<< <.<<
'#<< *M 3#5= *M -B<.<< -B.=? BB.=? -=1.42 BB.=? ?B.43 <.<< <.<<
=#<< *M 4#5= *M -=5.<< 2.4' ?=.54 -'4.5= ?=.54 =5.43 12.51 =.51
?#<< *M 5#5= *M -'<.<< 13.B5 ='.<5 -5'.4' ='.<5 '1.52 314.45 1??.'=
B#<< *M '#5= *M -45.<< 24.2? '5.=2 -4'.44 '5.=2 4=.B2 53=.=< 322.'2
1<#<< *M =#5= *M -3<.<< 32.?1 5=.1B -33.=' 5=.1B 35.<5 'B?.1B 41?.B1
11#<< *M ?#5= *M -15.<< 3?.'< 51.4< -1?.<2 51.4< 24.23 =B'.=5 4=?.<5
12#<< PM B#5= *M <.<< 4<.'? 4B.32 <.<< 4B.32 1B.32 ?3<.<B 4B?.<5
1#<< PM 1<#5= *M 15.<< 3?.'< 51.4< 1?.<2 51.4< 24.23 =B'.=5 4=?.<5
2#<< PM 11#5= *M 3<.<< 32.?1 5=.1B 33.=' 5=.1B 35.<5 'B?.1B 41?.B1
3#<< PM 12#5= PM 45.<< 24.2? '5.=2 4'.44 '5.=2 4=.B2 53=.=< 322.'2
4#<< PM 1#5= PM '<.<< 13.B5 ='.<5 5'.4' ='.<5 '1.52 314.45 1??.'=
5#<< PM 2#5= PM =5.<< 2.4' ?=.54 '4.5= ?=.54 =5.43 12.51 =.51
'#<< PM 3#5= PM B<.<< -B.=? BB.=? =1.42 BB.=? ?B.43 <.<< <.<<
=#<< PM 4#5= PM 1<5.<< -22.4B 112.4B ==.5' 112.4B 1<3.4< <.<< <.<<
?#<< PM 5#5= PM 12<.<< -35.5< 125.5< ?3.52 125.5< 11=.1B <.<< <.<<
B#<< PM '#5= PM 135.<< -4?.'' 13?.'' B<.<1 13?.'' 13<.5' <.<< <.<<
1<#<< PM =#5= PM 15<.<< -'1.?1 151.?1 B?.'1 151.?1 143.<< <.<< <.<<
11#<< PM ?#5= PM 1'5.<< -=4.4= 1'4.4= 115.4' 1'4.4= 153.12 <.<< <.<<
!%
Table /31# Dryer pe$"("$at"!ns#
6tart !
6tep 1#<<
Type o( 8lo. ! Catural 8lo. # 8orce, #
Air 8lo. &# +
"
<h # +
"
<sec
Mi5ing Datio ."
Type o( Dryer ! 6olar # 0ypri, #
Type o( Burner ! Diesel # Eas !
60 2##2 60 $$
BE .A# BE .A#
F ." F ."
Ma5i+u+ Te+perature (or Drying %
=ECET0 G8 DDH4CE BED 'M) DD %
74DT0 G8 T0E DDH4CE BED 'M) 7D !.&2
0E4E0T G8 >ro,uct BED ABGBE CG==ECTGD GUT=ET 'M) 0 .2
MG46TUDE CGCTECT AT T0E BEE4CC4CE G8 T4ME 4CTEDBA=,,b i M 4 @
MG46TUDE CGCTECT AT T0E 84CAl G8 T4ME 4CTEDBA=,,b i M( !!
MA66 G8 7ET >ro,uct ' I E ) MD #2
Table /41# &!lle$t!r &al$ulat"!n Data#
Lc
collector solar energy collection length, m !#
%c
collector solar energy collection width, m $
Ac collector solar energy collection area, m! $@
=p constant pressure specific heat, N$*kgK1 !A
>o efficiency factor of solar collector .&&
g gravitational acceleration, m$s
!
A.@!
9T incident solar energy, %$m
!
!$!
m air flow rate, kg$s #
S wind speed, m$s #.$
hw wind convection coefficient, %$*m
!
K1 !
!&
4. 4odel Serification
The model is capable to predict the output temperature from solar collector under various levels of solar
radiation. The predicted results were compared to the measured data from a solar collector.
A solar collector with same dimensions and specification predicted by the model was built to verify the
model results. +n the same day of /I march !330, the temperature of the heated air of the collector was recorded
and compared to the model results, *>ig. /A1.
=orrelation, ?egression and ?elative 7ercentage of rror, ?7, @*Actual A 7rediction1$ActualB were used as
indicators of the level of agreement degree between the predicted and measured values.
The simulated temperature was fluctuated between 3.KK to "#.I3 [= higher and lower than the measured
temperatures for most of the /!"hour simulation *>igures /A, /21. The ?7 for the /! hours of simulation was
"3.K3Y and the correlation coefficient between simulated and measured temperatures was 3.0KK.
>igure */A1C 4easured and predicted temperatures.
After building the dryer prototype in the next phase. =omplete validation of the model will be carried out
including the drying phase.
!@
>igure */21C 4easured and predicted temperatures.
!A
5- M!del E4per"mentat"!n.
<"/. Pseful heat gainC
The parameters of model input *table /1 of twelve selected days, a day of each month, were fed to
the model. Table *<1 and figure *!1 show the output. &t is obvious that during the summer months, the heat
gain reached !33 k% per day as the radiation exceeds 833 k% per day for the 8D m
!
collector. &n Nanuary it
was /D3 k% heat gain reduced to /<3 k% per day in 'ecember.
Psing these figures as table *<1, the total heat gain per year amounts to D3,333 k% which cost
financially L.. K,333. &f we generated from fossil energy and economically L.. !0,K33.
<"!. -imulating a drying process.
4int is used as an example for result of the drying process. The following table shows the parameters of
e(uation *<31 and table */1 shows the input parameters with respect to the mint.
T E the e(uilibrium temperature of drying air, =elsius =alculated
7;& E relative humidity of drying air, decimal =alculated
= =onstant E #<.I3#
=onstant E 3.!0#08
> =onstant E 3.38K3/<
4odel results as shown in figures *#, 8, <, K and I1
-imulation model run at <<"I3[= drying temperature. 4odel results as shown in figures *D, 0, /3, // and
/!1. The predicted the moisture content of the product was reduce from D3Y to //Y *the desired ratio1 in about D.< h
and 8 h for during temperature of << and I3[=, respectively. >igures 8 and 0 show the fuel consumption with and
without the collector in both cases, ie. , during temperature of << and I3[=, respectively.
>igures < and /3 show the e(uilibrium moisture content of the mint, with figures K and // show the mass of
the product at the beginning and at the end of the drying process.
>igures I and /! show thatC &nlet temperature of the collector *Ti1, outlet temperature of the collector,
temperature air mixing, temperature into the product and temperature out the product.
&!n$lus"!ns
A si+ulation +o,el o( hybri, solar ,rying as alternative sustainable ,rying syste+ (or herbal an, +e,icinal
plants .as ,evelope,. 0eat absorbe, (ro+ the solar ra,iation. 0eat gaine, by the collector an, supple+ente, by the
burner. 0eat gaine, or lost by the pro,uct, heat gaine, or lost through the ,rying bin .all, an, the latent heat o( the
+oisture evaporation (ro+ the pro,uct .ere the +ain co+ponents o( the e1uations ,escribing the ,rying syste+. The
+o,el .as able to pre,ict the +oisture loss (ro+ the pro,uct at .i,e ranges o( te+peratures '22, %, %2 an, & C
an, air circulation percentages '!, # an, "3). The +o,el sho.e, a ,ra+atic e((ect o( the ,rying air te+perature
on the +oisture loss at the beginning o( the ,rying process an, beca+e constant. Energy consu+ption at ,i((erent
,rying te+peratures .as stu,ie,.
#
De(erences
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